MONTREAL, May 17, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - More Quebecers prioritize Western Canadian oil for its imports. They would rather exploit their own oil resources and favour pipelines as a means of transporting oil.

Released today, the Leger poll, commissioned by the MEI, follows up on a similar poll carried out a year ago. Among the results:

It is now 65% of Quebecers - 2 out of 3 - who prefer that the oil imported by Quebec come from Western Canada. All other countries combined, including Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, receive just 13% support. Quebecers are thus even more in favour of consuming Western Canadian oil than last year, when 59% favoured this option.

56% of respondents consider it preferable for Quebec to exploit its own oil resources, instead of continuing to import the oil it consumes from outside the province. This proportion is slightly higher than last year.

Just like last year, 41% of Quebecers consider pipelines to be the safest means to transport oil, far ahead of the other options (tanker truck: 14%, train: 12%, ship: 11%).

Interestingly, the options of exploiting Quebec oil and prioritizing Western Canadian oil imports find a strong echo among respondents who intend to vote for left-leaning parties like the PQ and Québec Solidaire.

"The results of this poll show not only that Quebecers are open to the development of oil in the province, to the use of pipelines as the safest way to transport it, and to prioritizing Western Canadian oil, but that they are more in favour of these things than they were a year ago. When it comes to future public policy decisions, politicians will have no choice but to take these facts into account," says Michel Kelly-Gagnon, President and CEO of the MEI.

The results of the poll are also in line with the results of numerous MEI publications over the years. Among other things, these have shown, through numerous scientific studies, the benefits of developing Quebec's oil resources and of transporting oil by pipeline.

The poll was conducted between April 17 and April 19, 2017 in all regions across Quebec, with a representative sample of 1,016 Quebecers aged 18 or over. This would yield a margin of error of around + or - 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The poll can be consulted on the MEI's website.

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The Montreal Economic Institute is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit research and educational organization. Through its studies and its conferences, the MEI stimulates debate on public policies in Quebec and across Canada by proposing wealth-creating reforms based on market mechanisms. For more information, visit us at www.iedm.org and follow us on Twitter @iedm_montreal and Facebook.

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